Fire quickly contained in South Bay, traffic jams result

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Fire crews combat a fire in brush and trees in Los Gatos along State Route
17. Santa Clara County fire crews swiftly contained a grass fire in Los
Gatos on Sunday, but not before a lane of Highway 17 was closed in the
vicinity.
8-18-2019
Santa Clara County Fire Department

Traffic on State Route 17 in Los Gatos, Aug. 18, 2019. Santa Clara County
fire crews swiftly contained a grass fire in Los Gatos on Sunday, but not
before a lane of State Route 17 was closed in the vicinity.
State Department of Transportation live cam

Fire crews respond to fire in trees and brush in Los Gatos adjacent to
State Route 17. Santa Clara County fire crews swiftly contained a grass
fire in Los Gatos on Sunday, but not before a lane of Highway 17 was closed
in the vicinity.
8-18-2019
Santa Clara County Fire Department

LOS GATOS — Santa Clara County fire crews swiftly contained a grass fire in Los Gatos on Sunday, but not before a lane of Highway 17 was closed in the vicinity.

The California Highway Patrol arrived at roughly 2:24 p.m. on the scene of the grass fire, which affected northbound Highway 17 traffic between Lark Avenue and Highway 9, according to a CHP sig alert log.

When the CHP unit arrived on the scene, the patrol unit observed “smoke and flames” on the side of the freeway, the CHP log stated.

By 2:49 p.m., one lane on northbound Highway 17 was closed between Lark Avenue and Highway 9. The blaze was across the freeway from Vasona Park.

“We had to close one lane while fire personnel and equipment were on scene,” Luisa Rapport, a spokeswoman and information specialist for the Santa Clara County Fire Department said Sunday.

By 2:50 p.m., Santa Clara County fire dispatchers, as well as an eyewitness, reported that the fire had been put out.

Multiple public safety reports said that traffic was snarled on Highway 17 in the area near the location of the grass fire.

About one-eighth of an acre burned in the blaze, county fire officials estimated.

No injuries were reported.

Approximately 20 fire agency personnel responded to the location of the blaze.

“Two structures in the vicinity were threatened,” Rapport said. “But we were able to contain the fire before it spread.” The structures were located on Frank Avenue.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

“Any roadside fire is a reminder to drivers to be fire safe,” the county fire agency said in a prepared release. “Do not discard cigarettes or matches out of a vehicle, don’t pull over into dry grass or vegetation that could ignite, and ensure trailer chains do not drag on the ground.”